John is a man who enjoys a style, a very specific style and though he tailors it to his surroundings he will rarely be without a certain pattern of clothing, and accessories. After all, “a man is only as good as his hat” no? Speaking of which, John doesn’t leave his hat behind, no matter where he is going. It is a wide brimmed, very well maintained black top hat, the quality of this hat is truly top notch and though it is old it is taken to a haberdasher regularly in order to sustain it’s pristine condition. Though quality is obviously important for John, he prefers to make sure that this quality is not so much in appearance as it is in function when this is most desirable. Thus, his belt, his vest, shirt, pants and boots, all very presentable, yet, clearly prefer function over form. His shirt though white, is made from strong strands of silk, easily washed and cared for. His pants made from course dungaree cloth are dusky grey and often tucked in to a light brown boot of hardened leather. Wool Socks and undergarments, which prove comfortable and warm, join John’s selection of clothing as well, though these are rarely seen. Around his waist is a brown leather belt adorned with a standard brass belt buckle, consisting of a single square frame and prong. His vest, though functional, is proudly displayed once John sheds his jacket, weather that is for a lecture or for a fight. His jacket, if the weather permits this addition to his person, will be nothing less than a hand-woven Donegal tweed brown herringbone jacket.

The man underneath this outward appearance has a build befitting that of a boxer, and that of a military man. His arms have been broadened and refined under the weight of both the bench press, and the punching bag. His abdomen has undergone intense strengthening as well, especially in his youth. Whilst this might have led to the unfortunate look of the man who “skips leg day.” This was avoided when John joined the military, and underwent an intense running regime. Though he has slimmed down a bit from his younger days, that strength has not left him in both a performance and visual aspect.

The face of our dear John is well shaven, and has been that way for the vast majority of his life. While he does have the ability to grow a full beard, he does not choose to let this happen, preferring a utilitarian approach to his general features. The hair on his head is a very light brown, and is allowed to grow out in back and in his side burns. It is normally a little disheveled but is easily maintained when John needs it to be; running a quick come threw it is normally enough to suffice. John’s blue eyes though hardened do not appear overly stern, they are subject to a few marks of aging, in the wrinkles which beset the skin surrounding them. His lips are quite free from the vibrant red hues of some individuals and settle for a more mundane color, though they are made less bland by the laugh lines which mare his exterior.

Equipment

Owning a conceal and carry permit, John takes his pistol with him wherever he legally can. The few places he can’t normally would be one, the college, and two, the kitchen. (orders of the wife.)

This pistol is a SIG Sauer P210 Legend Super Target. The wooden grips of the ergonomic handle suit him just fine, the over all length of the gun is 10 in. and the caliber size is 9mm, the magazines of this gun hold up to 8 bullets. He carries one spare magazine on the inside of his jacket, and one in his car. Though he has a good five at home to replace, though he hopes he never has too, and in a weapons locker he carries anything from 10-12 more though these are a very cheap brand and easily expendable, obviously for target practice.

John carries in similar amount of situations a large bowie knife, making jokes commonly about how it makes him much like “Quincy” from Bram Stockers Dracula. This bowie knife is a little over 14 in. long, and the blade is standard for a knife of this type, but a knuckle guard has also been added to it for various purposes. The knife requires decent upkeep if it is used, as it is a higher carbon steel.

Not normally on his person but kept at the ready in his study is his Rifle. This rifle is the main rifle that he will use when A. Things start to get real, or B. He’s going hunting. There is a sash that allows him to carry a multitude of bullets stored with this gun for either occasion. This sash goes over his shoulder and hangs across his chest for easy reach and access to these bullets. This gun is a Browning X Bolt Stainless Stalker Carbon Fiber Fluted Bolt-Action Rifle. The round capacity is 5 in total and the gauge is .30-06 Springfield. This sash can hold about 30 extra bullets and the attachable pockets that come with it, easily can carry a few more, though these are possibly filled with a pistol magazine depending on the situation.

Other non-combat oriented things which belong to John would include, a house. This house is located in Texas and is actually extremely nice. Containing a good many rooms, three floors, a nice sized backyard near a small woods, and a very open front yard, leading to a gravel driveway that takes you to the main road, which in turn leads in to town, this is about three minutes drive away from his house. A garage and a shed adorn this property as well, the shed being filled with all manner of tools and the garage being filled halfway with a muscle car only partially restored, and a truck. On the side of this garage is a small addition, clearly not housing a car, but if one looks inside of it they will see a motorcycle join the ranks of John’s automobiles.

Inside of John’s house besides the usual assortment of things, is the massive collection of books, which are kept in his study, and then in a smaller, more secret room, a bunker if you will. He keeps those books that he has collected on the supernatural. As well as the best tobacco for his pipes and wine/whiskey, no to mention his collection of other weapons that he uses less commonly; these mainly being more handguns and hunting rifles, though there are also a few more knifes here as well. (These are so similar to Johns listed weapons listing off each specific gun he has created seems not only repetitive but unnecessary.)

Money wise, John has a very decent amount, even after buying this property and all that he owns. He has a considerable store in the bank, around 500,000$ in a pinch. But there is definitely a little more lying around the house in various places, and he will commonly have about 200 on his person at all times in his brown wallet.

He, also in this bunker, has assembled a go bag, this is an emergency bag of the bare minimums that John would need to survive on his own. Surprisingly it contains only just that. This being more specifically, a wilderness survival guide book, detailing eatable plants, how to do this and that and so forth, as well as matches, a lighter, flint and steel, knives, another handgun like his own with two magazines, work gloves, water purifying tablets, a compass, first aid kit, some rope, 5000$, etc.

This bunker containing a wealth of supernatural information, has undergone many rituals designed to hide it from supernatural attempts to find it, as well as many rituals still to protect it incase something should actually find its way there. It has nearly every supernatural symbol/ritual/trap that John and his friend Richard could get there hands on. While this is mainly to protect their enormous library, they have also done so on account of the store of magical items that they have obtained or created themselves. This includes but is not limited to a store of amulets that are able to enhance John’s own power to some degree, and enable him to use telepathic communication with the owner of another one of these amulets. Richard is the only person to own one so far, but John carries a spare on him in case someone he needs to use this ability with someone else.

While this is obviously not all of John’s worldly possessions it is enough to give you a good idea of what he has, and what he is likely to have.

Personality

John enjoys his luxuries, there’s no doubt about that. It is his firm belief, that if someone intends to have a luxury, they had better do it right. However, when strength and durability are what one needs, then they had better forgo the look of the blasted thing and just make sure it works. In short, while no stranger to the finer things in life, John is not only able to survive just fine without them, but prefers that they be kept as far away as they can be from the things that he actually needs to survive.

A well-educated man, John makes his living as a college level professor of classical English literature. This including the words of the immortal bard himself obviously, and commonly joining J.R.R. Tolkien, is Shakespeare, C.S Lewis, and other influential authors. He has a passion for these things without a doubt, as can be seen in his work and how he goes about it. But, as of the year 1992 when he left the military, something truly strange has entrapped much of his attention. This being, the supernatural of course, as one might expect from a man so grounded in works of fantasy. Although to be fair this is not without reason, considering John himself has quite the level of ability with this subject. While he is careful to hide such a thing he is nonetheless increasingly proud of his accomplishments in this field and unbashfully proclaims every break through of his to his best friend, Richard Pickman.

Other likes of his besides his friend, his work, and his hobby include all of the standard manly things, which explain why they tend to die younger than women on average. These include but are not limited to, fighting, specifically boxing with a few dirty moves including kicks thrown in here and there, hunting, smoking but only the very best cigars, and only the greatest tobacco for pipes, and of course drinking, also of only the finest wines, whiskey’s, or meads. He is one could say a man’s man, and is very proud of this. Now while John considers himself a sophisticated man, beyond a doubt, he is still not afraid to get down and dirty when he has to, or when he wants to.

These “down and dirty” moments are mainly expressed through fights. Now John is a patient man, within reason, but when someone is clearly not open to the idea of talking out an issue, and is just simply playing the devil’s advocate, the gloves come off, and so to, does the hat and jacket. But, easy war comes with easy peace, and ifone learns the lesson after a good beating, it’s off the bar for even better drinks.

John being a wise man puts away a lot of his money that he makes being a college professor and very successful salesman. But obviously he is not above spending a bit on himself, as one can easily gather from his wardrobe and the various luxuries that he indulges in every once in a while. However on the whole, he is rather conservative with his money, and while his house is absolutely decent and filled with many creature comforts, it is obvious that he does not sink in every penny he owns into something or other.

A brave man in his own right, this condition isn’t as severe as it was in his youth. After joining the military and fighting in the Persian Gulf War he was quickly taught the meaning of the word retreat. As well as the meaning of the words, fear for ones life. He’s come to realize that you rarely get over this kind of feeling as a human being, and instead of trying to feel brave by giving up his desire to live; he’s learned to become inspired by this fear. He uses it to enhance himself and keep him both sharp, and on his toes in a fight, he embraces it.

Abilities

Guns: An avid hunter and sportsman, as well as a trained military man, John has been using guns since he was just a small child and has not stopped. He has only ever gotten better with his weapons, and in conjunction with his less than natural abilities he poses quite the threat with them.

Martial/Melee: John was both an honorable fighter in the ring, and a dirty little puss bucket on the streets when he was growing up. He learned to box well, and he also learned a few dirties moves here and there, some jabs, a hold, kicks, etc. This dirty fighting has lead him to a decent understanding of knife fighting techniques as well, which he can perform with the bowie knife generally on his person.

Physical abilities: John is by no means peak human physical condition in anything at all, at least, most of the time. But he is in extremely good shape, working out at the gym and hiking/jogging all the time. He has been a life long athlete and service in the armed forces took that to a whole new level, which would remain with him even after he left their service. His strength as such is very beyond the average humans, his peed is level 1 however (in combat), and his reaction time, is at a level 1.5 If his divination abilities are still active. If they fail him he goes down to beyond above average just like his strength, thus 0.

Supernatural abilities: John posses a decent talent for magic, having gained a taste of this in the Persian Gulf war when him and his friend Richard were separated from their unit, and they had to go up against creatures that were, considerably less than human. They experimented on his friend Richard after he was caught by a group of cultists; John had barely been in time to save him from death. Too late however, to save him from the terrifying things they had already put him through, and even then, John himself didn’t escape from that place unharmed.

One of the monsters in that cave had attempted to “overload” his mind. It had worked, but John did not die like he was supposed to have, as the reinforcements that he had called on arrived at this very moment, and shot down his enemy. When John came to, he was stuck with a lot more memories than he knew what to do with, but some, that he most certainly did. The memories that he had never been meant to escape with alive, had been those of magic.

True, he had been nearly crushed by the dark things and secret rituals that should never be unearthed which had been forced in to his mind, but there was something else, something that was also meant merely to crush him, merely to overload his mind and take away his mental defenses with the sheer vastness and incomprehensible nature of what it was. This, was the divination magic that John was able to take away from the battle, and begin practicing in his own life.

Empathy: The first ability he has gained, and probably one of the most useful, is empathy. If this ability is enhanced, it turns in to full-blown mind reading and object/area reading.

What this ability entails is that it enables John to sense the emotions around that are being projected by anyone within about 250 yards. This helps him determine if there are any threats in an area, or possible opportunities, such as maybe, a very desperate person, that he feels is in need of a vague blank. These blanks might be, an escape, a house, food, drink, nothing specific but the general wants and needs are easily noticed. Obviously in a heavily populated area this can get very overwhelming, as such he can “muffle” this ability. But at the same time still be alert to certain “red lights” in the area. Like, I’m gonna kill that guy, or pick his pocket, or whatever it is that would harm John.

Often times John uses this ability to determine the effect he is having on someone else, what makes them feel negative, what makes them feel positive, this enables him to be likable to most if he wishes, and also, allows him to an amazing salesman, knowing what his clients “want” to hear.

If he were to pass by an area, where for example, a murder was committed, depending on its severity and its intensity he might pick that up. Though if it was not like this, or if a very long time had passed, he would merely get a “bad vibe” from that area. This can happen with murder weapons, and murderers even too. Depending on how heavily that might way on them, or affect their mentality. To the trained and cold killer, when murders become nothing more than merely another day-to-day task, he finds nothing betraying their calm, even in their own emotions.

Naturally evil creatures, radiate an aura of evil, and more likely than not, a multitude of other foul deeds. Making them a dead give away to John’s trained senses, unless of course, a counter measure was taken against his standard empathetic abilities.

If this ability is increased, which can be done for a maximum of five posts, it enables him to literally read the thoughts from a person, or persons mind(s), and if he is able to lay a hand on someone, he can go and specifically search for what he is looking for in their minds. Such as, did they do this, or when did they do that, etc. If this is used for the entire five posts, John’s mental abilities for the day are pretty much entirely used up. If used just for the four, he can maintain his normal sense of empathy for about 10 more posts in that day, total, needing to actively will this to happen however. If three are used, and it stops there, then John has merely strained his mind, requires a post for resting, but then has all divination abilities act as they normally do.

Reaction time: John is already able to deduce threats via the emotions and thoughts that radiate off of people, however for those harmful things that do not radiate a thought, such as a trap, a poisoned drink, maybe a venomous something or other that is slowly creeping towards him, he has a slight ability to sense them moments before such a thing happens. Thus, let’s say he put his hand around a drugged cup, he would be made aware of it’s danger, and probably not drunk from it. If the cup itself was trapped as soon as he debated picking it up he would receive this same sense of danger, almost like an electric jolt.

This ability is devastating in normal combat, as it alerts him to his opponent’s moves in a way, almost before they even throw them. Thus mapping out a safe “route” or battle plan in his mind in the middle of the fight he is engaged in. His reaction speed is above even the beginnings of the supernatural reaching about 1.5 his speed while not technically above human, is also considered a 1 in combat, as he almost knows, where would be best to strike, a few moments before that opportunity even comes about, thus allowing him to prepare for it with an inhuman amount of accuracy and speed. Indeed fighting against a normal opponent this kind of speed would without a doubt be considered beyond human in a fight. This does not apply to things like, how fast he can run for example, as there is no way to get the “drop” on running.

This ability can be enhanced in a like manner as his empathy, for five posts, severe mental punishment starting at four. If enhanced it not only allows him to sense dangerous things like, that floor is trapped, but also the specifics about how it is trapped, the exact poison used against him, etc. Allowing him to find a way around these traps, disable them; find a cure for that poison, etc. His abilities remain mostly the same, except for reaction speed, which increases to 2 for the length of time he decides to push himself.

Implant: This ability is very minor, but can serve quite a few useful purposes when it is called upon. The first, is to implant emotions or basic thoughts into another creature, this might calm a raging tiger, allow Raul to bridge a language barrier, and last but not least. Perform a mental overload on the target, stunning them for one round as their brains are bombarded with an explosion of information in but mere moments. The last aforementioned ability can be used but three times in a day.

Sight: John has a special ability when inside of an enhancing circle; he has one in his own home, created by his friend Richard for him. It enables him to drastically increase his Divination abilities for about 3 posts. When he attempts to focus on something like a person or object, he can get general clues about that person or things whereabouts, and if he has that object or person with him in the circle, then he is able to massively dig through the hidden and or potential powers of that said object. This might include intensive mind reading, or picking apart an artifact for every one of its abilities and it’s specific uses, etc.

Biography

John was born in Texas as one might have guessed, here he learned from an early age the art of the gun. As well as the art of the street fight, the cigar, and the drink. All in due time of course. He grew up with a very serious father, alumni of west point even, and with a mother whom was as equally prodigious and prideful of their southern roots as his father.

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst. That was their motto, and so John did, taking up the skill of boxing around the age of nine and continuing it for some time afterwards. When he realized how good he had become, he quickly decided that he would use this skill for a good purpose, that was namely beating the snot out of people who weren’t yet acquainted with proper manors. Whether that meant someone had decided to pick on him, or mock something dear to him, did not matter. The beating was the same, and the friendship afterwards was also quite similar.

During his high school years John was increasingly encouraged to attempt to enter west point. He was tempted certainly but then again, found it a bit tedious as well, not having the stomach much for an officer’s position. So he decided to try out the front line infantry for his first enlistment in the armed forces. He hoped to get out all of his energy and desire to be in the thick of the fighting with that one run through. He succeeded.

During his initial training for the front line infantry, John met up with who would become his lifelong friend and ally, Richard Pickman. They hit it off instantly, and were nearly inseparable from that point on. John blew through basic training, excelling at most everything he was meant to be learning. Like how to take care of his gun, shoot it, getting in to shape, etc.

Not long after there company was deployed, this was to the Persian gulf war. Here John and Richard fought side by side on the advancing frontline, narrowly surviving some battles. But nothing brought them as close to death as when they become separated from their unit during a battle. They were forced to hide out on their own trying to lay low in case the enemy came back. When they finally emerged from their hiding place, they started to try contacting their unit, they were told where the unit was going and headed out to meet them.

On the way there, they were ambushed by a group of crazed cultists, worshipping something they obviously feared, and thought to be very, very real. John was shot in the chest during this ambush and fell in to a dune, while Richard was taken down after this happened. John struck his head on a rock and fell unconscious, to this day he does not know what happened after that. Only knowing that he awoke later, and it had been a few hours since the attack. He knew that they must have thought he had died from the gunshot, but opening up his shirt he saw that his vest had held, and saved his life. (John had the benefit of having been wealthy enough to afford this when joining the army.)

Getting up and taking stock of his supplies John contacted his unit once again and kept them informed of his whereabouts as he tried tracking Richard. He did so, by following the trail that these men had left in the sand while dragging his friend behind them in to a secluded cavern.

John instantly entered this cave, lit by just a few torches and warily made his way through it’s winding passages to a room with an alter, kneeling men, a black cloaked figure, and his friend Richard strapped down on to the alter. He was bloody, and shuddering as the black cloaked man laid his fingers on his forehead. John was enraged by this action, and took out his rifle, giving little thought into what he was doing when he started to spray his bullets in to the group of men gathered there.

This dispersed them and killed quite a few, but before he could even pull out his pistol once his ammo had run dry there was a hand near his own head, the same hand of the dark figure once so far away. How he had been able to move that fast didn’t remain a mystery for long, as all of the sudden John’s mind exploded in a hail of information causing him to cry out in pain under the intense overload of information that came in but moments.

This was cut off though, almost as soon as it had come, by the large caliber rifle which took the head off of the black cloaked man. John knew that his reinforcements had arrived, and during their clearing of the cave, and the fight against the remaining cultists, John crawled over to his friend and severed the ropes binding him, before slumping on to the ground unconscious once more.

John and Richard’s battles were nearly over, and by the time they had rested sufficiently and recovered, there were only a few skirmishes left before the end of the war entirely. John and Richard fought in the last few but nothing serious happened during this time.

After this, John and his friend had both had enough of the military, and went on to go to prestigious colleges in order to earn a teaching degree. John specialized in teaching English literature, which seemed more a treat than a chore for him. He also took up a minor job being a salesman for an antique book company. Always buying low and selling high he was quite successful in this. More than once, he made sure to snatch a few of the more mystical books for himself and his friend to store in their bunker.

When his life grew settled down, and his friends as well. They began to take some time off from their work now and again, going on vacation, to some rather exotic places. Like Egypt, the sewers of France, and Antarctica once. Here they searched for rumored objects of magical persuasion, or tomes and books depicting the supernatural which now, all but consumed their lives.

Ever since their encounter with the dark figure that had tried to experiment or destroy their minds, they had been searching for magic, for supernatural anything really. They had had a taste for magic, their own skills blossomed and grew until they were both accomplished practitioners themselves. But it seemed there was never enough, never enough knowledge never enough items, you name it. They found books, stole books, (only justly), and wrote their own even. All for the purpose of knowledge, of collecting. That in time became what they called it, collecting, a hobby, their collection, etc. In truth, it was more than just the standard hobby, but not honestly by all that much. Their lives didn’t depend on it, but it wasn’t just something to do. It was akin to a passion. But for fun.

These two men were decently successful in most their travels, and enhanced their own powers over the years, especially that of Richard’s, who specialized in aether magic, and benefited most from the rituals and secrets that they uncovered which were compatible with aether users. There work had only ever involved the two of them, though they have a few friends here and there, like a large arms weapons dealer in Texas, he goes by the name of Enfield. However, so far they have deemed only the two of them trustworthy enough to know their exact business and their exact work. Probably why they are still alive.

Recently they have uncovered an interesting rumor, one about a prima materia. Which is rumored to be the original substance of creation itself. They had to have it, or at the very least a sample. John and his friend Richard instantly began to look for it, and after about a year of searching they have finally started to gain clues as to where they should start their journey. Richard, is unable to attend the search at this moment, staying at John’s house in order to guard the bunker, and be on stand by in case John needs some information from one of their various texts. He is also subbing for him while he is away at his college. But John hopes that soon enough he will be able to leave and join him. Indeed he feels rather exposed without his wingman.

Last edited by John R. Raul on Tue Oct 28, 2014 10:14 am; edited 1 time in total

_________________"Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. It is from ash and dust we come, and to ash and dust we will return."

I know teachers get paid shit, but do they really have to go door to door selling candy bars?

Appearance wrote:John is a man who enjoys a style, a very specific style and though he tailors it to his surroundings he will rarely be without a certain pattern of clothing, and accessories.After all, “a man is only as good as his hat” no?

His style seems to be talking without telling us anything.

Point? wrote:Speaking of which, John doesn’t leave his hat behind, no matter where he is going. It is a wide brimmed, very well maintained black top hat, the quality of this hat is truly top notch and though it is old it is taken to a haberdasher regularly in order to sustain it’s pristine condition. Though quality is obviously important for John, he prefers to make sure that this quality is not so much in appearance as it is in function when this is most desirable. Thus, his belt, his vest, shirt, pants and boots, all very presentable, yet, clearly prefer function over form. His shirt though white, is made from strong strands of silk, easily washed and cared for. His pants made from course dungaree cloth are dusky grey and often tucked in to a light brown boot of hardened leather. Wool Socks and undergarments, which prove comfortable and warm, join John’s selection of clothing as well, though these are rarely seen. Around his waist is a brown leather belt adorned with a standard brass belt buckle, consisting of a single square frame and prong. His vest, though functional, is proudly displayed once John sheds his jacket, weather that is for a lecture or for a fight. His jacket, if the weather permits this addition to his person, will be nothing less than a hand-woven Donegal tweed brown herringbone jacket.

Silk actually takes a lot of care to wash properly and keep from becoming a mess of crap. And if he's so concerned with function, the hell is his hat doing? Seems like its only function is to look cool.

Liar wrote:The man underneath this outward appearance has a build befitting that of a boxer, and that of a military man.

Boxers and soldiers are two different things and two different builds. Pick one.

Confused wrote:His arms have been broadened and refined under the weight of both the bench press, and the punching bag. His abdomen has undergone intense strengthening as well, especially in his youth. Whilst this might have led to the unfortunate look of the man who “skips leg day.” This was avoided when John joined the military, and underwent an intense running regime. Though he has slimmed down a bit from his younger days, that strength has not left him in both a performance and visual aspect.

The face of our dear John is well shaven, and has been that way for the vast majority of his life. While he does have the ability to grow a full beard, he does not choose to let this happen, preferring a utilitarian approach to his general features. The hair on his head is a very light brown, and is allowed to grow out in back and in his side burns. It is normally a little disheveled but is easily maintained when John needs it to be; running a quick come threw it is normally enough to suffice. John’s blue eyes though hardened do not appear overly stern, they are subject to a few marks of aging, in the wrinkles which beset the skin surrounding them. His lips are quite free from the vibrant red hues of some individuals and settle for a more mundane color, though they are made less bland by the laugh lines which mare his exterior.

I don't think he has a nose. I guess you're Krillin. Have fun with that.

Picture says he's white, so I assume he's white.

Equipment wrote:Owning a conceal and carry permit, John takes his pistol with him wherever he legally can. The few places he can’t normally would be one, the college, and two, the kitchen. (orders of the wife.)

Wow, someone who's married. That's very rare.

Slightly more impressed wrote:This pistol is a SIG Sauer P210 Legend Super Target. The wooden grips of the ergonomic handle suit him just fine, the over all length of the gun is 10 in. and the caliber size is 9mm, the magazines of this gun hold up to 8 bullets. He carries one spare magazine on the inside of his jacket, and one in his car. Though he has a good five at home to replace, though he hopes he never has too, and in a weapons locker he carries anything from 10-12 more though these are a very cheap brand and easily expendable, obviously for target practice.

John carries in similar amount of situations a large bowie knife, making jokes commonly about how it makes him much like “Quincy” from Bram Stockers Dracula. This bowie knife is a little over 14 in. long, and the blade is standard for a knife of this type, but a knuckle guard has also been added to it for various purposes. The knife requires decent upkeep if it is used, as it is a higher carbon steel.

Not normally on his person but kept at the ready in his study is his Rifle. This rifle is the main rifle that he will use when A. Things start to get real, or B. He’s going hunting. There is a sash that allows him to carry a multitude of bullets stored with this gun for either occasion. This sash goes over his shoulder and hangs across his chest for easy reach and access to these bullets. This gun is a Browning X Bolt Stainless Stalker Carbon Fiber Fluted Bolt-Action Rifle. The round capacity is 5 in total and the gauge is .30-06 Springfield. This sash can hold about 30 extra bullets and the attachable pockets that come with it, easily can carry a few more, though these are possibly filled with a pistol magazine depending on the situation.

Other non-combat oriented things which belong to John would include, a house. This house is located in Texas and is actually extremely nice. Containing a good many rooms, three floors, a nice sized backyard near a small woods, and a very open front yard, leading to a gravel driveway that takes you to the main road, which in turn leads in to town, this is about three minutes drive away from his house. A garage and a shed adorn this property as well, the shed being filled with all manner of tools and the garage being filled halfway with a muscle car only partially restored, and a truck. On the side of this garage is a small addition, clearly not housing a car, but if one looks inside of it they will see a motorcycle join the ranks of John’s automobiles.

Holy shit, how rich is this teacher?

Counterfeiting wrote:Inside of John’s house besides the usual assortment of things, is the massive collection of books, which are kept in his study, and then in a smaller, more secret room, a bunker if you will. He keeps those books that he has collected on the supernatural. As well as the best tobacco for his pipes and wine/whiskey, no to mention his collection of other weapons that he uses less commonly; these mainly being more handguns and hunting rifles, though there are also a few more knifes here as well. (These are so similar to Johns listed weapons listing off each specific gun he has created seems not only repetitive but unnecessary.)

Money wise, John has a very decent amount, even after buying this property and all that he owns. He has a considerable store in the bank, around 500,000$ in a pinch. But there is definitely a little more lying around the house in various places, and he will commonly have about 200 on his person at all times in his brown wallet.

How did he get all this money? Does he steal from the corpses of the people he murders?

Sperm donor wrote:He, also in this bunker, has assembled a go bag, this is an emergency bag of the bare minimums that John would need to survive on his own. Surprisingly it contains only just that. This being more specifically, a wilderness survival guide book, detailing eatable plants, how to do this and that and so forth, as well as matches, a lighter, flint and steel, knives, another handgun like his own with two magazines, work gloves, water purifying tablets, a compass, first aid kit, some rope, 5000$, etc.

Nice to know he doesn't give a shit about his wife. "Well, the government and vampires are about to come knocking down our doors, so I'm going to Mexico. See you, honey!"

Bad spouse wrote:This bunker containing a wealth of supernatural information, has undergone many rituals designed to hide it from supernatural attempts to find it, as well as many rituals still to protect it incase something should actually find its way there. It has nearly every supernatural symbol/ritual/trap that John and his friend Richard could get there hands on. While this is mainly to protect their enormous library, they have also done so on account of the store of magical items that they have obtained or created themselves. This includes but is not limited to a store of amulets that are able to enhance John’s own power to some degree, and enable him to use telepathic communication with the owner of another one of these amulets. Richard is the only person to own one so far, but John carries a spare on him in case someone he needs to use this ability with someone else.

While this is obviously not all of John’s worldly possessions it is enough to give you a good idea of what he has, and what he is likely to have.

So this guy, on a teacher's salary, can support a wife, own a three story house with the Batcave underneath, have a bunch of guns, two cars, a bike, more than $500,000 in savings, and enough magical objects to make Almos violently orgasm at the sight of it. How many banks did this guy rob in his life?

Personality wrote:John enjoys his luxuries, there’s no doubt about that. It is his firm belief, that if someone intends to have a luxury, they had better do it right.

So he's one of the elitist hipster types?

Fucker wrote:However, when strength and durability are what one needs, then they had better forgo the look of the blasted thing and just make sure it works. In short, while no stranger to the finer things in life, John is not only able to survive just fine without them, but prefers that they be kept as far away as they can be from the things that he actually needs to survive.

Then why bother with them? If you're going to be a dandy, be a dandy. Don't flipflop between style and and Mr. Grungy McRippedpants over here.

Damn it wrote:A well-educated man, John makes his living as a college level professor of classical English literature.

If you call teaching an English elective "a living", then sure.

School wrote:This including the words of the immortal bard himself obviously, and commonly joining J.R.R. Tolkien, is Shakespeare, C.S Lewis, and other influential authors. He has a passion for these things without a doubt, as can be seen in his work and how he goes about it. But, as of the year 1992 when he left the military, something truly strange has entrapped much of his attention. This being, the supernatural of course, as one might expect from a man so grounded in works of fantasy. Although to be fair this is not without reason, considering John himself has quite the level of ability with this subject. While he is careful to hide such a thing he is nonetheless increasingly proud of his accomplishments in this field and unbashfully proclaims every break through of his to his best friend, Richard Pickman.

Just fuck already!

More in love with that guy than his wife wrote:Other likes of his besides his friend, his work, and his hobby include all of the standard manly things, which explain why they tend to die younger than women on average. These include but are not limited to, fighting, specifically boxing with a few dirty moves including kicks thrown in here and there, hunting, smoking but only the very best cigars, and only the greatest tobacco for pipes, and of course drinking, also of only the finest wines, whiskey’s, or meads. He is one could say a man’s man, and is very proud of this. Now while John considers himself a sophisticated man, beyond a doubt, he is still not afraid to get down and dirty when he has to, or when he wants to.

Have fun being banned from every boxing gym in the state.

Smash the patriarchy, son.

Repressed homosexuality wrote:These “down and dirty” moments are mainly expressed through fights. Now John is a patient man, within reason, but when someone is clearly not open to the idea of talking out an issue, and is just simply playing the devil’s advocate, the gloves come off, and so to, does the hat and jacket. But, easy war comes with easy peace, and ifone learns the lesson after a good beating, it’s off the bar for even better drinks.

For all his talk of function, it seems kind of pointless to wear that outfit if he has to strip every time he gets into a fight. Which should be often if he's actively out hunting.

Inconvenient wrote:John being a wise man puts away a lot of his money that he makes being a college professor and very successful salesman.

Unless he's selling private jets, I don't think he's going to be putting away as much money as you seem to believe.

Money wrote:But obviously he is not above spending a bit on himself, as one can easily gather from his wardrobe and the various luxuries that he indulges in every once in a while. However on the whole, he is rather conservative with his money, and while his house is absolutely decent and filled with many creature comforts, it is obvious that he does not sink in every penny he owns into something or other.

A brave man in his own right, this condition isn’t as severe as it was in his youth. After joining the military and fighting in the Persian Gulf War he was quickly taught the meaning of the word retreat. As well as the meaning of the words, fear for ones life. He’s come to realize that you rarely get over this kind of feeling as a human being, and instead of trying to feel brave by giving up his desire to live; he’s learned to become inspired by this fear. He uses it to enhance himself and keep him both sharp, and on his toes in a fight, he embraces it.

So, no mention of this wife? You'd think the person he chose to marry would make some sort of an impact on his life. Just my opinion.

Abilities wrote:Guns: An avid hunter and sportsman, as well as a trained military man, John has been using guns since he was just a small child and has not stopped. He has only ever gotten better with his weapons, and in conjunction with his less than natural abilities he poses quite the threat with them.

Someone who likes to shoot guns in Texas? Who would have thought?

Obvious wrote:Martial/Melee: John was both an honorable fighter in the ring, and a dirty little puss bucket on the streets when he was growing up. He learned to box well, and he also learned a few dirties moves here and there, some jabs, a hold, kicks, etc. This dirty fighting has lead him to a decent understanding of knife fighting techniques as well, which he can perform with the bowie knife generally on his person.

How does dirty boxing equate to knife fighting? Those are two vastly different forms of battle.

What? wrote:Physical abilities: John is by no means peak human physical condition in anything at all, at least, most of the time. But he is in extremely good shape, working out at the gym and hiking/jogging all the time. He has been a life long athlete and service in the armed forces took that to a whole new level, which would remain with him even after he left their service. His strength as such is very beyond the average humans, his peed is level 1 however (in combat), and his reaction time, is at a level 1.5 If his divination abilities are still active. If they fail him he goes down to beyond above average just like his strength, thus 0.

Narm wrote:Supernatural abilities: John posses a decent talent for magic, having gained a taste of this in the Persian Gulf war when him and his friend Richard were separated from their unit, and they had to go up against creatures that were, considerably less than human. They experimented on his friend Richard after he was caught by a group of cultists; John had barely been in time to save him from death. Too late however, to save him from the terrifying things they had already put him through, and even then, John himself didn’t escape from that place unharmed.

Is he Steve Rogers? Because it sounds like you just rescued Bucky.

Winter Soldier wrote:One of the monsters in that cave had attempted to “overload” his mind. It had worked, but John did not die like he was supposed to have, as the reinforcements that he had called on arrived at this very moment, and shot down his enemy. When John came to, he was stuck with a lot more memories than he knew what to do with, but some, that he most certainly did. The memories that he had never been meant to escape with alive, had been those of magic.

I...don't think magic works that way. I don't think anything works that way, honestly.

Nani? wrote:True, he had been nearly crushed by the dark things and secret rituals that should never be unearthed which had been forced in to his mind, but there was something else, something that was also meant merely to crush him, merely to overload his mind and take away his mental defenses with the sheer vastness and incomprehensible nature of what it was. This, was the divination magic that John was able to take away from the battle, and begin practicing in his own life.

What was the purpose of doing that? Why not just crush his head with magic, or make rocks fall on him, or shoot him, or literally anything that wasn't a cheat button for magic?

Que? wrote:Empathy: The first ability he has gained, and probably one of the most useful, is empathy. If this ability is enhanced, it turns in to full-blown mind reading and object/area reading.

What this ability entails is that it enables John to sense the emotions around that are being projected by anyone within about 250 yards. This helps him determine if there are any threats in an area, or possible opportunities, such as maybe, a very desperate person, that he feels is in need of a vague blank. These blanks might be, an escape, a house, food, drink, nothing specific but the general wants and needs are easily noticed. Obviously in a heavily populated area this can get very overwhelming, as such he can “muffle” this ability. But at the same time still be alert to certain “red lights” in the area. Like, I’m gonna kill that guy, or pick his pocket, or whatever it is that would harm John.

Often times John uses this ability to determine the effect he is having on someone else, what makes them feel negative, what makes them feel positive, this enables him to be likable to most if he wishes, and also, allows him to an amazing salesman, knowing what his clients “want” to hear.

If he were to pass by an area, where for example, a murder was committed, depending on its severity and its intensity he might pick that up. Though if it was not like this, or if a very long time had passed, he would merely get a “bad vibe” from that area. This can happen with murder weapons, and murderers even too. Depending on how heavily that might way on them, or affect their mentality. To the trained and cold killer, when murders become nothing more than merely another day-to-day task, he finds nothing betraying their calm, even in their own emotions.

Naturally evil creatures, radiate an aura of evil, and more likely than not, a multitude of other foul deeds. Making them a dead give away to John’s trained senses, unless of course, a counter measure was taken against his standard empathetic abilities.

If this ability is increased, which can be done for a maximum of five posts, it enables him to literally read the thoughts from a person, or persons mind(s), and if he is able to lay a hand on someone, he can go and specifically search for what he is looking for in their minds. Such as, did they do this, or when did they do that, etc. If this is used for the entire five posts, John’s mental abilities for the day are pretty much entirely used up. If used just for the four, he can maintain his normal sense of empathy for about 10 more posts in that day, total, needing to actively will this to happen however. If three are used, and it stops there, then John has merely strained his mind, requires a post for resting, but then has all divination abilities act as they normally do.

And I thought Spider Sense was broken before. Now it's just bullshit.

Arg wrote:Reaction time: John is already able to deduce threats via the emotions and thoughts that radiate off of people, however for those harmful things that do not radiate a thought, such as a trap, a poisoned drink, maybe a venomous something or other that is slowly creeping towards him, he has a slight ability to sense them moments before such a thing happens. Thus, let’s say he put his hand around a drugged cup, he would be made aware of it’s danger, and probably not drunk from it. If the cup itself was trapped as soon as he debated picking it up he would receive this same sense of danger, almost like an electric jolt.

This ability is devastating in normal combat, as it alerts him to his opponent’s moves in a way, almost before they even throw them. Thus mapping out a safe “route” or battle plan in his mind in the middle of the fight he is engaged in. His reaction speed is above even the beginnings of the supernatural reaching about 1.5 his speed while not technically above human, is also considered a 1 in combat, as he almost knows, where would be best to strike, a few moments before that opportunity even comes about, thus allowing him to prepare for it with an inhuman amount of accuracy and speed. Indeed fighting against a normal opponent this kind of speed would without a doubt be considered beyond human in a fight. This does not apply to things like, how fast he can run for example, as there is no way to get the “drop” on running.

This ability can be enhanced in a like manner as his empathy, for five posts, severe mental punishment starting at four. If enhanced it not only allows him to sense dangerous things like, that floor is trapped, but also the specifics about how it is trapped, the exact poison used against him, etc. Allowing him to find a way around these traps, disable them; find a cure for that poison, etc. His abilities remain mostly the same, except for reaction speed, which increases to 2 for the length of time he decides to push himself.

So he has precognition that makes him impossible to hit and somehow enhances his physical abilities beyond what would be possible? That's just great.

Oy wrote:Implant: This ability is very minor, but can serve quite a few useful purposes when it is called upon. The first, is to implant emotions or basic thoughts into another creature, this might calm a raging tiger, allow Raul to bridge a language barrier, and last but not least. Perform a mental overload on the target, stunning them for one round as their brains are bombarded with an explosion of information in but mere moments. The last aforementioned ability can be used but three times in a day.

Oh, yeah. Totally minor, that godmodding. No red flags here.

Fuck wrote:Sight: John has a special ability when inside of an enhancing circle; he has one in his own home, created by his friend Richard for him. It enables him to drastically increase his Divination abilities for about 3 posts. When he attempts to focus on something like a person or object, he can get general clues about that person or things whereabouts, and if he has that object or person with him in the circle, then he is able to massively dig through the hidden and or potential powers of that said object. This might include intensive mind reading, or picking apart an artifact for every one of its abilities and it’s specific uses, etc.

Does this come with a Sword of Omens?

Biography wrote:John was born in Texas as one might have guessed, here he learned from an early age the art of the gun. As well as the art of the street fight, the cigar, and the drink. All in due time of course. He grew up with a very serious father, alumni of west point even, and with a mother whom was as equally prodigious and prideful of their southern roots as his father.

Next week on Walking Stereotypes, we have the Raul family.

God damn wrote:Pray for the best, prepare for the worst. That was their motto, and so John did, taking up the skill of boxing around the age of nine and continuing it for some time afterwards. When he realized how good he had become, he quickly decided that he would use this skill for a good purpose, that was namely beating the snot out of people who weren’t yet acquainted with proper manors. Whether that meant someone had decided to pick on him, or mock something dear to him, did not matter. The beating was the same, and the friendship afterwards was also quite similar.

Because picking fights with strangers and getting your ass beat is a sure way to make friends.

jkcjnekjjns wrote:During his high school years John was increasingly encouraged to attempt to enter west point. He was tempted certainly but then again, found it a bit tedious as well, not having the stomach much for an officer’s position. So he decided to try out the front line infantry for his first enlistment in the armed forces. He hoped to get out all of his energy and desire to be in the thick of the fighting with that one run through. He succeeded.

You don't just "enter" West Point, son.

jkjfljn wrote:During his initial training for the front line infantry, John met up with who would become his lifelong friend and ally, Richard Pickman. They hit it off instantly, and were nearly inseparable from that point on. John blew through basic training, excelling at most everything he was meant to be learning. Like how to take care of his gun, shoot it, getting in to shape, etc.

Why? What has this guy done in his life that would enable him to be so good? All he's been shown doing so far in life is underage smoking, drinking, and getting in street fights. It worked for Captain America, but he got super steroids.

Can we just admit he's in love with Pickman yet?

So obvious wrote:Not long after there company was deployed, this was to the Persian gulf war. Here John and Richard fought side by side on the advancing frontline, narrowly surviving some battles. But nothing brought them as close to death as when they become separated from their unit during a battle. They were forced to hide out on their own trying to lay low in case the enemy came back. When they finally emerged from their hiding place, they started to try contacting their unit, they were told where the unit was going and headed out to meet them.

On the way there, they were ambushed by a group of crazed cultists, worshipping something they obviously feared, and thought to be very, very real. John was shot in the chest during this ambush and fell in to a dune, while Richard was taken down after this happened. John struck his head on a rock and fell unconscious, to this day he does not know what happened after that. Only knowing that he awoke later, and it had been a few hours since the attack. He knew that they must have thought he had died from the gunshot, but opening up his shirt he saw that his vest had held, and saved his life. (John had the benefit of having been wealthy enough to afford this when joining the army.)

You know that you don't have to buy your own equipment, right? Like, they don't throw you onto the battlefield in your sweatpants. We should also know what happened, even if this loser doesn't.

Nein wrote:Getting up and taking stock of his supplies John contacted his unit once again and kept them informed of his whereabouts as he tried tracking Richard. He did so, by following the trail that these men had left in the sand while dragging his friend behind them in to a secluded cavern.

They did this hours ago, but there was still enough of a trail to follow them right to their hideout? Deserts have wind. Wind blows sand. Sand covers tracks.

Iie wrote:John instantly entered this cave, lit by just a few torches and warily made his way through it’s winding passages to a room with an alter, kneeling men, a black cloaked figure, and his friend Richard strapped down on to the alter. He was bloody, and shuddering as the black cloaked man laid his fingers on his forehead. John was enraged by this action, and took out his rifle, giving little thought into what he was doing when he started to spray his bullets in to the group of men gathered there.

This dispersed them and killed quite a few, but before he could even pull out his pistol once his ammo had run dry there was a hand near his own head, the same hand of the dark figure once so far away. How he had been able to move that fast didn’t remain a mystery for long, as all of the sudden John’s mind exploded in a hail of information causing him to cry out in pain under the intense overload of information that came in but moments.

This was cut off though, almost as soon as it had come, by the large caliber rifle which took the head off of the black cloaked man. John knew that his reinforcements had arrived, and during their clearing of the cave, and the fight against the remaining cultists, John crawled over to his friend and severed the ropes binding him, before slumping on to the ground unconscious once more.

Yeah, you know how common those Satanic cultists are in Afghanistan...

Still don't know what the fucking point of giving these guys every single fucking secret he's ever learned right before he kills them. Like, this is worse than a villain monologuing before they kill the hero. This is the villain giving them their credit card numbers, bank pins, spare house keys, birth certificate, and $1000 in cash before they try to shoot them.

No wrote:John and Richard’s battles were nearly over, and by the time they had rested sufficiently and recovered, there were only a few skirmishes left before the end of the war entirely. John and Richard fought in the last few but nothing serious happened during this time.

After this, John and his friend had both had enough of the military, and went on to go to prestigious colleges in order to earn a teaching degree. John specialized in teaching English literature, which seemed more a treat than a chore for him. He also took up a minor job being a salesman for an antique book company. Always buying low and selling high he was quite successful in this. More than once, he made sure to snatch a few of the more mystical books for himself and his friend to store in their bunker.

That came right the fuck out of nowhere. "Well, we've basically got no skills besides military, but let's be teachers!" What kind of "prestigious" colleges are taking them in? And, up to this point, nothing in his history suggests he ever cared about books before now. Also, you cannot make your gigantic fortune as you've stated in your biography by selling old books. Especially not in Texas.

Narm x 2 wrote:When his life grew settled down, and his friends as well. They began to take some time off from their work now and again, going on vacation, to some rather exotic places. Like Egypt, the sewers of France, and Antarctica once. Here they searched for rumored objects of magical persuasion, or tomes and books depicting the supernatural which now, all but consumed their lives.

Because...that's something people do.

What even? wrote:Ever since their encounter with the dark figure that had tried to experiment or destroy their minds, they had been searching for magic, for supernatural anything really. They had had a taste for magic, their own skills blossomed and grew until they were both accomplished practitioners themselves. But it seemed there was never enough, never enough knowledge never enough items, you name it. They found books, stole books, (only justly), and wrote their own even. All for the purpose of knowledge, of collecting. That in time became what they called it, collecting, a hobby, their collection, etc. In truth, it was more than just the standard hobby, but not honestly by all that much. Their lives didn’t depend on it, but it wasn’t just something to do. It was akin to a passion. But for fun.

Seems like an obsession.

Nope wrote:These two men were decently successful in most their travels, and enhanced their own powers over the years, especially that of Richard’s, who specialized in aether magic, and benefited most from the rituals and secrets that they uncovered which were compatible with aether users. There work had only ever involved the two of them, though they have a few friends here and there, like a large arms weapons dealer in Texas, he goes by the name of Enfield. However, so far they have deemed only the two of them trustworthy enough to know their exact business and their exact work. Probably why they are still alive.

Recently they have uncovered an interesting rumor, one about a prima materia. Which is rumored to be the original substance of creation itself. They had to have it, or at the very least a sample. John and his friend Richard instantly began to look for it, and after about a year of searching they have finally started to gain clues as to where they should start their journey. Richard, is unable to attend the search at this moment, staying at John’s house in order to guard the bunker, and be on stand by in case John needs some information from one of their various texts. He is also subbing for him while he is away at his college. But John hopes that soon enough he will be able to leave and join him. Indeed he feels rather exposed without his wingman.

So, no mention of that enigmatic wife. Is...Richard supposed to be his wife? Because that's a pretty shitty way to describe two men who are married.

Seriously, is this, like, a joke? These guys are in love.

I'll ask the same about this history, though. Like, if you're intent on jumping the gun and making a magician with our new system before everyone else, then you should know there's levels to the powers like with every other skill. Yet you're trying to start as basically a master right from the get go.

Not only that, this sheet is so far below your usual skill level that I find myself rolling my eyes at every sentence. It's cliche, it's bad, and it makes no sense. So much of this is just coincidence and convenience kicking in that he should already be dead ten times over. If nothing else, he'd be more of a joke among the magic community, and in no way some kind of expert capable of writing books.

Woopsie Daisy, I forgot about the wife part. I debate putting that in or not, I think I will. He'll have some children as well.

As to powers, sure. But every good barter starts high and gets lower. I'd be willing to also offer up some SP from my already approved characters who have some. That would be about four in total. I'm not sure if that is enough to get those same powers but lets discuss that. See what kind of a compromise we can come up with, if any at all.

I might also point out such examples as Strength and Achilles who both started with incredibly high stats and in the case of Achilles for much the same amount of SP. Specifically a level 5 stat. (This person also gave up relics and escape cards, as well as other perks but I might be willing to do something along the same lines.)

_________________Almighty Lord, Word of God the Father, Jesus Christ, God and Lord of all creation; who gave to your holy apostles the power to tramp underfoot serpents and scorpions; who along with the other mandates to work miracles was pleased to grant them the authority to say: "Depart, you devils!" and by whose might Satan was made to fall from heaven like lightning; I humbly call on your holy name in fear and trembling, asking that you grant me, your unworthy servant, pardon for all my sins, steadfast faith, and the power - supported by your mighty arm - to confront with confidence and resolution this cruel demon. I ask this through you, Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, who are coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.~Exorcism Rite of 1999.

You seem to get what I'm saying however, there are ways to make this work out. I'll think up a specific list of something and get back to you on that. Feel free to disapprove this sheet however, I'll probably just be trying on a new one anyway with so many changes that won't matter all that much.